A future, maybe
by Jade II
Summary: Everyone lives happily ever after. Or do they? First attempt at writing a Trek fic


**A Future, maybe**

by   
[Jade][1]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Disclaimer:** Voyager doesn't belong to me (though I wish it did), it belongs to Paramount, Viacom and anyone who had anything to do with it's creation (Rick Berman, etc.). Please don't sue me, it's just a bit of fun and thousands of other people do it too. OK? 

* * *

"Tom, could you let them in?"   
B'Elanna Paris was changing the diaper of her youngest child, Sarah, who was one and a half years old and too energetic for her own good. She was currently trying to escape with only half her clothes on. The other two kids, Kathryn and Owen, were helping their father with the 20th century barbecue grill he had insisted on replicating for the occasion. B'Elanna didn't see why they couldn't just use the replicator like everyone else, but Tom had said it was a special occasion and special occasions needed special food. It _was_ a special occasion, of course. A very special occasion. It was the 10th anniversary of Voyager returning to the Alpha quadrant, via two wormholes and with a little help from Borg technology. The ex-senior staff were meeting for their annual celebration, and this year it was the Paris family who had to play host. Which was probably better than last year, when Neelix had hosted with the theme "Delta Quadrant Cuisine We Haven't Tasted For Nine Years". She had thought she'd seen (or rather tasted) the last leola root she'd ever have to force down her throat, but _nooo_, fate had seen fit to punish her and the rest of the crew by letting Neelix grow the horrible things in his back garden. Harry had suggested introducing a game called "Destroying A Plant For Every Time We Almost Got Killed", but somehow Neelix didn't like the idea. So B'Elanna had said she was on a diet, trying to get back into shape after having a baby. It had worked on Neelix, but she ended up replicating a bar of chocolate to still her hunger and had been caught by Chakotay, who made a sarcastic remark about diets getting stranger every day, but then left her alone. Speaking of food, she could smell something burning...   
"Mommy, is meat supposed to smoke when it's cooking?" Kathryn poked her head through the door. B'Elanna sighed and let Sarah, who was still missing her pants, go and play with her brother.   
"I don't think so. I'll find daddy. Make sure Sarah doesn't burn herself, will you?" She went to the front door of their unbelievably big quarters and found Tom talking to Harry and Tuvok, who had apparently arrived together.   
"Tom, your meat's burning", she said. "Hi Harry, Tuvok. Come on in." She led them into the living room. Tom was hopping around the barbecue trying to get the meat onto a plate Owen was holding out for him. It didn't help that Sarah was running around in circles, with Kathryn chasing after her and Owen having to dodge out of the way every ten seconds.   
"Hawwy!" Sarah stopped running round the barbecue and ran towards Harry instead, grabbing his leg and digging her fingernails into it. Harry laughed and picked her up.   
"Hi Sarah!" he turned to B'Elanna. "She remembers me, huh?"   
"We only saw you a month ago, so don't be so surprised. How come you didn't bring your family, anyway? You did last year."   
"Judy said she wasn't coming if the Doctor kept trying to give her advice on how to raise children, even though he's got none and we've got five."   
"He doesn't tell us how to raise our kids anymore. Must've seen we were doing it right and moved on to you"   
"Or perhaps he still remembers the fact that you threatened to delete his program if he dared interfere again" commented Tuvok.   
"Could be..."   
There was another chime at the door.   
"Come in!" called B'Elanna. The rest of the crew entered. The Captain and Chakotay, and their boy, who was about Kathryn's age. Neelix, carrying a box which probably contained something awful from his garden, was followed by the Doctor and Seven. A Borg and a hologram. If there was a competition for "Weirdest Married Couple", those two would probably win it. There had been some discussion as to whether a hologram _could_ get married, but Captain Janeway had settled it by performing the ceremony herself. Seven had changed quite a lot since the days on Voyager. For one thing, she wore her hair down. And of course, she was married. B'Elanna could remember when Seven had thought marriage a waste of time. Seven had thought a lot of things were a waste of time. It was amazing how she'd evolved, really... Tom had finally gotten the meat to grill properly. Everyone was taking their places at the table. B'Elanna smiled and went to join her friends and family for what would be an interesting, if not particularly tasty, meal. 

After dinner Tom and B'Elanna showed everyone their newest project, the _Falcon_. It was a sort of upgrade on the traditional _Defiant_-class ship. Tom had done several test flights with it, while B'Elanna had fixed all the bugs.   
"I'm impressed" said Chakotay.   
"With which part of it?" asked B'Elanna. "I designed the new warp core myself."   
"Actually, I'm impressed that you trust Tom to fly it."   
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" exclaimed Tom, pretending to be offended. "I could steer that ship with my eyes closed!"   
"And aren't you afraid he'll try?" Chakotay asked B'Elanna.   
"I'll prove I can do it!" said Tom. "Everyone on the bridge, we're going for a ride!"   
Harry looked uncertain. "Are we allowed?", he asked nervously.   
B'Elanna shrugged. "Sure, I guess. We are the project leaders, after all."   
"What if Tom crashes it?"   
"Then we'll all be dead anyway, so there's no point worrying about it. Now are you coming or not?" 

Once they were all piled onto the bridge, Captain Janeway sat down in the captain's chair.   
"Everyone, take your stations!" And everyone did. It was kinda fun to pretend they were all back on Voyager together, B'Elanna decided. Even if she had to balance Sarah on her knee, with the other kids running around looking over everyone's shoulders.   
"Tom, take us out."   
"Yes ma'am..." He took them out. And flew a few circles round the station, just for effect.   
"No need for evasive maneuvers quite yet, Mr. Paris", said the captain playfully.   
_'...dropping...section 16-gamma...unknown...'_   
"What was that?!" asked Harry, unnerved.   
The viewscreen went blank.   
"And was was_ that_?" said Tom, starting to get worried.   
"On second thoughts, maybe you should prepare for some more evasive maneuvers." Captain Janeway turned around in her seat. "Harry, why has the viewscreen gone blank?"   
"I don't know captain...it seems to be working properly..."   
"Then why can't we see anything?"   
"Um, Captain? According to the sensors, there isn't anything for us _to_ see."   
"What?"   
"There's nothing out there. We're just sorta...floating in nothingness."   
"That's impossible."   
"I know, but that's what the sensors-"   
The picture came back.   
"-said" Harry finished. "Now it's all back to normal."   
"OK, what just happened?" asked Tom. "One moment, I'm peacefully showing off my piloting skills, and the next thing I know, I hear..._voices_...and the viewscreen goes blank, Harry tells us we've magically disappeared into nothingness, and then everything's back to normal."   
"What voices?" Owen was looking at the adults with curiosity.   
"You didn't hear them?" Tom looked at his son, then his daughter. "Did you hear them, Kathryn?"   
"No."   
"Tim?" Janeway and Chakotay's boy shook his head.   
"Did any of you adults not hear the voices?"   
"I didn't" said the Doctor.   
They just looked at each other for a few moments, puzzled. Finally, B'Elanna broke the silence.   
"Um, this is all very interesting, but maybe we could discuss it tomorrow? The kids should really be going to bed, and I have to change Sarah's diaper."   
"What's the matter Lieutenant, lost you zeal for explaining the unexplained?" the Doctor said jokingly.   
"No, it's just a lot harder to explain things when you have children to worry about."   
The others seemed to agree with this, and they decided to get a babysitter and reconvene the next day. 

_B'Elanna woke up. Machinery whirred and whined around her. She seemed to be on a sort of biobed, in a long row of similar beds. Tom was on the bed next to hers._   
_"Tom?" she whispered, but he didn't react. She reached across and shook his arm, but he still didn't stir. She tried to get up, then realized that she was fastened to the bed by her ankles. Suddenly she heard voices. She lay back down and closed her eyes, hoping she wouldn't be noticed. Straining her ears, she picked up pieces of conversation..._   
_"subject 247...signs of stress..."_   
_"...nightmare element..."_   
_"...reaction?..."_   
_"...interesting...different species..."_   
_They seemed to be getting closer. B'Elanna forced herself to breathe calmly and lie still. The console above her head beeped. She heard footsteps approach and walk over to the console._   
_"This one's conscious."_   
_"Don't worry, we'll soon remedy that"_   
_The console beeped again and B'Elanna felt a prick in her right ankle._   
_"She should be dropping off to sleep any second"_   
_"It should be doing that automatically"_   
_"I'm sure it's just an exception"_   
_B'Elanna felt herself drifting off._   
_"...keep and eye on them...could be a problem if..."_

B'Elanna woke up. The red alert siren was wailing. Tom was shaking her.   
"Wh's 'p..." she managed.   
"We're under attack!" exclaimed Tom.   
This got her attention. "Who's attacking? And where are the kids?!"   
"They're still in bed."   
"Then get them out!"   
"I was going to, as soon as I'd woken you up."   
"Mommy!" Owen came running into the room, crying. "I'm scared."   
"It's OK sweetie, it's OK..."   
Tom picked Owen up and they went into the girls' room. Sarah was screaming her head off. Kathryn was sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes.   
"What's going on? Why are we at red alert?"   
"Don't worry, I'm sure it's all fine." said, B'Elanna, scooping Sarah up. "Let's just get to the square, OK?"   
The main square was where all the civilians had to gather when at red alert. Tom and B'Elanna weren't really civilians, but they weren't part of the crew that operated the station, either. The square was specially reinforced for just this type of occasion. The rest of the Voyager crew was already there, huddled in a corner discussing the situation. The Paris family made their way towards them.   
"Do you know who's attacking?" Tom asked the Captain.   
"No-one knows, apparently it's a species we haven't encountered before."   
Kathryn tugged at B'Elanna's leg. "Can I get some food?"   
"Sure, go on" said B'Elanna distractedly. "Have they contacted us?"   
"No, they just decloaked and started firing"   
"Why?" Tom asked. "I didn't think Starfleet had done anything to threaten any unknown races"   
Captain Janeway shrugged. She was about to say something when the station rocked. The lights flickered and a piece of the roof fell in. Right on top of a certain little girl...   
"**_Kathryn!!!_**" B'Elanna screamed.   
The crew ran towards the wreckage and started clearing pieces of burnt metal away, uncovering Kathryn. The Doctor ran a tricorder over her and shook his head.   
"Kathryn..." B'Elanna whispered. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real, damnit! She could hear Tom frantically telling the Doctor that there must be something he could do, that she couldn't be dead...She felt numb inside. Frozen with shock. It wasn't happening...it couldn't be...no...   
And then another piece of ceiling fell down. And landed on her head. 

_B'Elanna woke up, breathing hard. Kathryn...was dead. Kathryn? Who was Kathryn? She didn't know a Kathryn. The Captain was called Kathryn, but B'Elanna never thought of her as such. Wait...Kathryn, her daughter. Daughter? She didn't have a daughter. It must've been a dream, she decided. A very detailed, very **bad** dream. But now she had woken up, where was she? The place seemed vaguely familiar..._   
_And then she felt a prick in her ankle._

Tom Paris was frantic. His daughter had just been crushed to death under falling debris, and his wife...well, she didn't look too good either. The Doctor had said she would live, but she didn't look like it. She had blood streaming from her forehead, and one of her arms was definitely broken. She had burnt patches all over her where she had been hit by sparks. He had told Harry to take the kids away, he didn't want them to see their mother and sister like this. Harry had taken them up to the bridge. The bridge...they were on the_ Falcon_. Why? He didn't remember coming here. He had been in the square. And now he was here. In the _Falcon_'s sickbay. Watching the Doctor save B'Elanna's life. Why weren't they in the station's sickbay, then? It was more sophisticated than the one on the _Falcon_, surely? It must have been damaged in the attack, Tom decided. Yes, that must be it. But then, where were the station's other residents? Tom shook his head to clear it. It didn't matter, he told himself. He was sure he'd remember sooner or later. Right now what mattered was helping B'Elanna. She was waking up...   
"Tom?" she blinked her eyes several times, groaning.   
"I'm here"   
"What happened?"   
"A piece of ceiling fell on your head"   
"Ceiling...Kathryn!" she tried to get up. "Where is she?!"   
"She's dead, B'Elanna. Calm down."   
"Calm down?!" she pushed herself up into a sitting position. "How am I supposed to calm down when my baby's been crushed to death?!" she eyed him suspiciously. "And how come you aren't more upset?!"   
"I'm concentrating on helping those who're still alive, namely you"   
"Kathryn..." Tom saw tears in her eyes.   
"Shhh..."   
"I want Kathryn!" she sobbed. "I want...Kathryn..."   
"It's OK..." Tom pulled her into a hug. "Shhh..."   
They just stayed in each others arms until they fell asleep, which is how Harry found them four hours later. 

_Tom woke up. He looked around and saw B'Elanna lying on a bed next to his, blinking as if she'd just woken up._   
_"B'Elanna..."_   
_She looked round and reached out for his hand._   
_"Tom..."_   
_A prick in the ankle and they both dozed off again._

"Wake up!" Harry shook Tom violently.   
"Huh?" Tom yawned.   
"What's the matter?" B'Elanna looked at Harry sleepily.   
"They're attacking again!"   
"What?"   
"The captain wants you on the bridge. Now."   
"OK, OK..."   
The bridge didn't look as if it was under attack. Not yet, anyway. Tim, Owen and Sarah were squashed into the captain's chair. Captain Janeway was looking over Tuvok's shoulder.   
"What do you mean, you don't know what kind of weapon they're using?"   
"The weapon being used is not in the database, captain. I can only tell you that it seems to be some sort of directed energy beam"   
Janeway sighed. "Work on it."   
"Yes, Captain."   
Harry, having reached his station, looked at his instruments.   
"Captain?"   
"Yes, Mr. Kim?"   
"I don't think the station can take much more of this. In fact, I think it's going to-"   
The station exploded. 

_Kathryn Janeway woke up. She looked around. She seemed to be lying on a biobed, in a long row of similar beds. She remembered an explosion. The station...had exploded. What station? She didn't remember a station..._   
_A prick in her ankle sent her back into unconsciousness._

_Chakotay woke up. He looked around. He seemed to be lying on a biobed, in a long row of similar beds. He remembered an explosion. The station...had exploded. What station? He didn't remember a station..._   
_A prick in his ankle sent him back into unconsciousness._

_Neelix woke up. He looked around. He seemed to be lying on a biobed, in a long row of similar beds. He remembered an explosion. The station...had exploded. What station? He didn't remember a station..._   
_A prick in his ankle sent him back into unconsciousness._

_Tuvok woke up. He looked around. He seemed to be lying on a biobed, in a long row of similar beds. He remembered an explosion. The station...had exploded. What station? He didn't remember a station..._   
_A prick in his ankle sent him back into unconsciousness._

_Seven of Nine woke up. She looked around. She seemed to be lying on a biobed, in a long row of similar beds. She remembered an explosion. The station...had exploded. What station? She didn't remember a station..._   
_A prick in her ankle sent her back into unconsciousness._

_Harry Kim woke up. He looked around. He seemed to be lying on a biobed, in a long row of similar beds. He remembered an explosion. The station...had exploded. What station? He didn't remember a station..._   
_A prick in his ankle sent him back into unconsciousness._

_Tom Paris woke up. He looked around. He seemed to be lying on a biobed, in a long row of similar beds. He remembered an explosion. The station...had exploded. What station? He didn't remember a station... This place looked familiar though...B'Elanna..._   
_A prick in his ankle sent him back into unconsciousness._

_B'Elanna Torres woke up, looked around, and remembered being there before. More than once. Tom...he was here, somewhere...she looked over and saw him, was about to reach out to him..._   
_A prick in her ankle sent her back into unconsciousness._

The bridge was in flames. The automatic fire extinguishers had been activated, producing a thick white smoke. The crew slowly woke up. They had just gotten more or less awake when the aliens fired on them. A few seconds later, the children who had been sitting in the command seat vanished. B'Elanna gasped.   
"The, the kids! Where have they gone?!"   
"What kids?" Neelix got up, holding his head.   
"Owen, and..." Tom looked confused. "I don't know. What are you talking about, B'Elanna?"   
"The...I...I don't remember..."   
The Doctor got up, fidlling with his mobile emmitter. "Mr. Paris, I may need your assistance in-"   
He vanished.   
"Hey, where'd the Doc go?" Harry rubbed his eyes.   
"Yeah, where's the...the...what was I saying?" Tom looked around. There had been someone there, he was sure of it...He looked at the viewscreen. And the alien ship coming right at them.   
"Uh-oh..."   
The _Falcon_ exploded. 

_Kathryn Janeway woke up and wondered where she was. Was she dead? She remembered the ship blowing up. But she wasn't on Voyager. She was somewhere with a lot of machines. She could hear them, smell them, **feel** them. So where...?_   
_She felt a prick in her ankle._

_Chakotay woke up and wondered where he was. Was he dead? He remembered the ship blowing up. But he wasn't on Voyager. He was somewhere with a lot of machines. He could hear them, smell them, **feel** them. So where...?_   
_He felt a prick in his ankle._

_Neelix woke up and wondered where he was. Was he dead? He remembered the ship blowing up. But he wasn't on Voyager. He was somewhere with a lot of machines. He could hear them, smell them, **feel** them. So where...?_   
_He felt a prick in his ankle._

_Tuvok woke up and wondered where he was. Was he dead? He remembered the ship blowing up. But he wasn't on Voyager. He was somewhere with a lot of machines. He could hear them, smell them, **feel** them. So where...?_   
_He felt a prick in his ankle._

_Seven of Nine woke up and wondered where she was. Was she dead? She remembered the ship blowing up. But she wasn't on Voyager. She was somewhere with a lot of machines. She could hear them, smell them, **feel** them. So where...?_   
_She felt a prick in her ankle._

_Harry Kim woke up and wondered where he was. Was he dead? He remembered the ship blowing up. But he wasn't on Voyager. He was somewhere with a lot of machines. He could hear them, smell them, **feel** them. So where...?_   
_He felt a prick in his ankle._

_Tom Paris woke up and wondered where he was. He had been here before, he knew it. And B'Elanna was somewhere close by. If he could just-_   
_He felt a prick in his ankle._

B'Elanna Torres woke up, sat up, and released her ankles before she could be sedated again. There was a guard at the other end of the room. B'Elanna snuck up on him, about to pounce- when she tripped over some wiring. Damn. He'd heard her, was coming to investigate. She stood up, pretending to be dazed and confused. He bent down, took her arm... at least, he would've done if she hadn't punched him in the face and kicked him in the stomach first. She snatched the weapon out of his unresisting hand and hit him on the back of the head with it. _Hard._ Then she set to work releasing the other members of the crew.   
"What happened?"   
"What's going on?"   
"Where are we?"   
"I don't know." said B'Elanna. "But I do know that they'll be sending more guards any minute. And when they do, I want to be ready for them."   
And they were. And so it happened that Captain Janeway was very soon sitting in the office of the commanding officer of this bizarre experiment. 

"You've been _what_?!"   
Captain Janeway was furious. She still didn't know where she was, how long she'd been there, or most importantly, how to get back to _Voyager._ Or even if _Voyager_ still existed, for that matter. She remembered a ship exploding, but that could've been part of the dream. The only thing she knew was what she'd just been told, that they were part of an experiment in dreams and their effect on people.   
"Studying dreams. Their effects, you know. How people react in the real world when they're having a certain kind of dream, that kind of thing."   
The President, as he called himself, sat calmly at his desk. He didn't seem particularly worried. Janeway was forced to stand in front of him like a cadet receiving a reprimand at the Academy. She didn't like it. It made her feel insecure, nervous. Still, she wasn't going to let it distract her now. Maybe she could take advantage of it by stamping her feet or something. Anyway...   
"You mean you can control what we dream?"   
"Not exactly. We just set the parameters, like if it's a group dream or not, if it's a good dream or a bad dream. Yours was obviously a bad dream. The shock caused you to wake up."   
"How come B'Elanna didn't go back to sleep with the rest of us?"   
"The one who attacked my guard? Her biochemistry is very complex, the drug we normally use didn't work well enough on her. It wasn't strong enough, thus causing her to wake up more often than the others, and to remember where she was. Which is why she remembered to take the restraints off her ankles."   
"And why are you using us as test subjects? Why don't you just study your own species?"   
"Why put ourselves at risk when there are plenty of aliens to go around?"   
"And where's my ship?"   
"It's in my display. Our technicians are finding it very interesting."   
"Do I get it back?"   
The President laughed. "Unlikely! As soon as we've found a better drug your crew will be reinitiated in the experiments."   
"What?! You mean this whole conversation has been meaningless?"   
"Not meaningless. I wanted to see your reaction. After all, reactions are what this study is all about. Bye bye now..."   
Janeway was dragged back to the cell where the others were being held. It was a large room, more than big enough for the hundred and fifty or so members of the _Voyager_ crew. Part of one of the walls was a forcefield, the rest were bare and slippery, so there was no chance of climbing up. The senior officers were waiting for her in a corner out of the guards' sight.   
"Well?" Chakotay looked at her hopefully.   
"Bad news, I'm afraid. We're to be reinitiated as soon as they've found a drug that works."   
"Then we must escape before they do."   
"Just what I was thinking, Tuvok. The question is, how do we escape and how do we find Voyager?"   
"Feigning illness is always a good trick." Neelix looked at Janeway. "But I don't know if that would work for the entire crew"   
Tuvok looked thoughtful. "If just one or two feign illness until they get outside the forcefield, they could knock the guards into unconsciousness before the field is reactivated, allowing the rest of us to escape."   
"Sounds like a plan." The Captain looked at her officers. "Any volounteers?" Everyone's hands shot up. Janeway laughed. "Alright. Seven, B'Elanna, you're with me."   
"Captain, I would be the logical choice, since I have greater strength than you or Lieutenant Torres."   
"True, but you're not a woman."   
"Captain?"   
"We're the weaker sex, remember? They won't suspect us as much"   
Chakotay spoke up: "That's all very well, but how do we find Voyager once we've escaped?"   
B'Elanna shrugged. "I think I can modify one of Seven's implants"   
And with that they were set. 

Tirf B'lahr was bored. Why did _he_ need to guard the humans? It wasn't as if they could escape, after all. Why couldn't they just install some surveilance cameras and alarms? Then he could get on with his job. He _liked_ watching the aliens' dreams. It was almost as if he didn't have to work at all, just write down the occasional note and alert security if there was a major event which might cause the subjects to wake up. He admitted that it was his fault the humans had awoken in the first place; he had been too engrossed in a dream about a love triangle to notice the explosions. But _still_, they didn't actually need to be guarded, surely?   
He was knocked out of his reverie by the shouting of one of the humans. He wandered over to the forcefield.   
"Yes?"   
The one with the curious markings on his forehead stepped forward, supporting a female B'lahr recognized as their captain.   
"My, my wife is feeling ill. Along with several others." He gestured towards two other females being supported by two other men. "Can you do anything for them?"   
"Let me see them"   
The men came closer to the forcefield.   
"Lay them on the floor and step back" He waved his weapon at them for effect. The humans complied. B'lahr deactivated the forcefield and stepped forward warily. He stooped down to look at their captain- And was hit on the head by a flying boot. A _boot_! Someone had thrown a boot at him! How interesting. He stood up to see where it had come from. And was knocked into unconsciousness by a boot hit VERY hard on the back of his head. 

Captain Janeway looked up at B'Elanna, who was handing the boot back to Tom.   
"Interesting use of footwear."   
Tom grinned. "Yeah, well, I suddenly realised I didn't have anything to throw. And B'Elanna needed something to knock him out with."   
Neelix was looking apprehensive. "Can we go now?"   
"Of course" said the Captain. "Which way, Seven?"   
"I'm detecting the Voyager 470 metres to the left"   
"Then let's go!"   
They snuck out into the corridors, Janeway in the lead with the guard's weapon, and Tom and B'Elanna taking up the rear, armed with, you guessed it, boots.   
After about 300 metres the alarm started, which was soon followed by more guards appearing in front of them. The Captain kept them at bay until they reached the docking bay to _Voyager_, where it took Tuvok and Seven several seconds to crack the security code. Just as they were rushing inside a disruptor beam hit B'Elanna on the shoulder and knocked her down. Tom threw a boot at the attcker, then picked her up and sealed the hatch. Since he knew his piloting skills would be needed to get out of there, he had no choice but to take B'Elanna up to the bridge with him. When they reached it he saw several unconscious aliens on the deck. He presumed they were the technicians the captian had told them about. Tom put B'Elanna down in a spare chair, then took the helm. Tuvok blasted the doors open, and Tom flew them through the opening, going to warp as soon as possible.   
"They are not following us, Captain." Tuvok announced.   
"Proably too much trouble." Janeway turned to Tom. "Maybe you should take B'Elanna down to sickbay, Tom"   
The Doctor treated B'Elanna easily.   
"Were you on an away mission? Was there some kind of battle? And-" the Doctor looked at Tom's feet "where are your boots?" 

A few hours later, Tom found B'Elanna alone in the darkened messhall. She was sitting with her back to the doors, reading a PADD. Tom approached her.   
"How's the shoulder?"   
She looked up at him. "Much better, thanks."   
"What'cha reading?" he asked, sitting down. "More Klingon romance novels?"   
"Damage report."   
"The Doctor told you to take it easy."   
"I'm just reading."   
They sat in silence for a few seconds.   
"Thanks for getting us outta there, by the way."   
B'Elanna smiled. "You would've done the same for me." she paused. "I wonder...if there was any truth in those dreams."   
"They were dreams. I for one wouldn't like to be killed so easily."   
"Yes but...the first part."   
"That was..." he looked into her eyes and sighed. "It was perfect."   
She smiled at him again. "Maybe it'll happen someday."   
"Yeah...but let's not call our son Owen."   
"Maybe we'll want to..."   
And maybe they will. But that's not really for me to decide, is it? At least, not yet. And as for the "perfect" part...don't you think perfection is, well, boring? Ha ha ha!...ahahahaha! Ahahahahaha!!!!!   
Manic laughter floated across space as, somewhere, someone watched the two Lieutenants and decided that it was rather fun to play with them...In space, no-one can hear you scream. But they might hear you laugh...if you happen to be a Q, that is...ha ha ha... 

_fin_

* * *

  
Feedback is always welcome, even if it's negative! I've never had negative feedback for a fanfic before, so I'd like to know what it's like! But only send negative feedback if you mean it! Do I seem exited?! It's probably the fact that it's half past one in the morning! But I've finished! Yay! 

   [1]: mailto:j_delahaye@hotmail.com



End file.
